The offshore industry is mainly related to the petroleum industry and the production of oil and gas located offshore. The complexity where e.g. advanced drilling installations, seismic ships, production ships, transport ships, lifeboats, and numerous technical systems are included as well as thousands of employees make this a challenging industry. Rough weather conditions and terrible consequences related to risk (fires, blowouts, pollution etc.) make it natural that the industry is very safety oriented. This has paved the way for composites in many applications, and consequently FiReCo is a natural participant in offshore related projects.

For protection of underwater installation, which is the fastest growing area for offshore installations, composite structures have become, more or less, an industry standard. FiReCo has developed calculation methods for documentation of capacities of GRP structures towards falling objects in water, over trawling, rock dumping and various installation loads. FiReCo have designed numerous structures for protection of underwater structures, but have also been engaged in third party verification of existing designs.

Free fall lifeboats are a topic of current interest. Both in the North sea, but also worldwide. Safety of employees, less shut-down of production facilities due to bad weather prognoses, and production located in more extreme waters, make the development of better and more robust free fall life boat systems unavoidable and necessary.

The life boats are built in GRP, and consequently, FiReCo is a main contributor and natural partner in the verification and design process. Complex analysis related to the determination of design loads, and linear, nonlinear and dynamic structural analysis of the hull/canopy/liner is only some of the topics necessary to conduct in this field of expertise.

FiReCo is a main partner for STATOIL (oil and gas production company) and Norsafe (producer of lifeboats).

Design and verification of freefall lifeboats has been a major activity for FiReCo for several years. This industry requires close cooperation between authorities, producers, designers, mechanical test facilities, tank test facilities, and load establishment by CFD analysis. All of which FiReCo has long experience and is a well known participant.

FiReCo have also been involved in development of new offshore related rules and regulations together with DNV GL and STATOIL.

FiReCo wish to thank the following companies for the kind permission to use their pictures: Norsafe, Ulmatec Baro, Kongsberg oil & gas technologies (Nemo engineering), Bokn plast and Statoil